Birds – Page 19 – Earthwatcher

Less Common views from Sacramento and Colusa National Wildlife Reserve

January 18, 2018 by Earthwatcher, posted in Bird Photography, Birds, Colusa National Wildlife Reserve, Fujifilm Cameras, landscape, landscape images, Photography, Sacramento National Wildlife Reserve

Ring Necked Pheasant, Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, JAN 2018

Our visit to the Sacramento and Colusa National Wildlife Refuges found us in fog an low light. These conditions make photography more difficult but also present some interesting opportunities for unique and special images. Additionally, on this visit, we were treated to some birds that we don’t normally see. I hope you enjoy these images.

Regards,

Larry

Note: Please click on caption to see image in larger size.

American Bittern, Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, JAN 2018

Birding on a Peaceful, Foggy Morn — Birding on a Foggy Morn, Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, JAN 2018

Double Crested Cormourant — Double Crested Cormorant, Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, JAN 2018

Fading Into the Fog, Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, JAN 2018

Female Northern Harrier (aka Marsh Hawk) — Female Northern Harrier, Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, JAN 2018

Wilson's Snipe — Wilson’s Snipe, Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, JAN 2018

American Whimbrel, Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, JAN 2018

Pied-billed Grebe, Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, JAN 2018

Common Moorhen (Waterhen, Swamp Chicken, Rail, closely related f — Common Moorhen, Colusa National Wildlife Reserve, JAN 2018

Note: These and other images are available for purchase on my website www.earthwatcher.us or by contacting larry@earthwatcher.us.

Standoff at Sacramento NWR

January 10, 2018 by Earthwatcher, posted in Birds, Photography, Sacramento

Peregine Falcon — Peregrine Falcon; The falcon clings to the dead female mallard while plucking its feathers.

No, not government agents vs. protestors. On Jan 7^th, Donna and I visited the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge near Willows, CA. The highlight of the trip was a standoff between a peregrine falcon, a gull, and a Turkey Vulture. The falcon was standing guard over a female mallard. It was not clear if he brought it down himself or found it. Regardless, he was guarding his prize. The first interloper was the turkey vulture. He made some strafing runs at the falcon and was able to drive him off for a short period of time, but the falcon eventually prevailed. The second interloper was a gull, possibly a herring gull. It was a lot more reticent. It mostly stood watch while the falcon ate. But, he did try one attack. The falcon would have nothing of it and expressed his displeasure. In the end, the falcon consumed his meal while the vulture and gull looked on. We left before any battle over the leftovers ensued. There wasn’t much leftover to fight about.

Regards,

Larry

Note: Click on caption to see image in larger size.

Peregine Falcon, Turkey Vulture — Peregrine Falcon, Turkey Vulture; The falcon protects his prey from the turkey vulture.

Peregine Falcon, Herring Gull — Peregrine Falcon, Herring Gull; The gull arrives and begins apprising the situation. The falcon gives a threatening stare.

Peregrine Falcon, Herring Gull, Turkey, Vulture — Peregrine Falcon, Herring Gull, Turkey Vulture; The standoff ended with the falcon consuming his meal while the others waited, hoping for scraps.

Note: These and other images are available for purchase at www.earthwatcher.us or by contacting larry@earthwatcher.us.

Icebergs, Auroras and Birds

October 2, 2017 by Earthwatcher, posted in Aurora, Birds, Iceland, Photography

Aurora Borealis - Perspective 4 — Aurora Borealis and Big Dipper

I am mashing together 2 different subjects in this post: Aurora Borealis and the interaction of icebergs with each other and with the avian life that inhabits them. I hope you enjoy these images.

Regards,

Larry

Note to see these images in larger size and higher resolution, please click on caption.

Aurora Borealis - Perspective 1 — Aurora Borealis – Perspective 1

Aurora Borealis - Perspective 3 — Aurora Borealis – Perspective 2

Aurora Borealis - Perspective 2 — Aurora Borealis – Perspective 1

Icy Aviary - Perspective 4 — Icy Aviary – Perspective 4

Icy Aviary - Perspective 5 — Icy Aviary – Perspective 5

Icy Aviary - Perspective 3 — Icy Aviary – Perspective 3

Icy Aviary - Perspective 1 — Icy Aviary – Perspective 1

Icy Aviary - Perspective 2 — Icy Aviary – Perspective 2

These and other images are available to purchase by visiting www.earthwatcher.us or contacting larry@earthwatcher.us.

A Visit to Yosemite

June 20, 2017 by Earthwatcher, posted in Bird Photography, Birds, Fujifilm Cameras, landscape, Photography, Yosemite

Image of Yosemite's Half Dome at Sunset — Yosemite’s Half Dome at Sunset

A few weeks ago, we spent an evening and early morning at Yosemite. Water was running everywhere. The Merced River was a raging snake of whitewater. The granite cliffs of Yosemite are amazing anytime but, when they are covered with ribbons of water falling 3,000 feet, it is really amazing.

I hope you enjoy these images.

Regards,

Larry

Note: Click on caption to see image at larger size.

Image of a tree stump reflected in a pond. Glacier Point Road, Yosemite National Park, MAY 2017 — Reflection in a Pond, Glacier Point Road, Yosemite National Park, MAY 2017

Yosemite's North Dome in mottled early morning light. MAY 2017 — North Dome at Sunrise, Yosemite National Park, MAY 2017

Yosemite's Nevada Falls at Sunset. MAY 2017 — Nevada Falls, Yosemite National Park, MAY 2017

Image of a Steller's Jay, Yosemite National Park, MAY 2017 — Steller’s Jay, Yosemite National Park, MAY 2017

Birds and Flying Bugs

June 10, 2017 by Earthwatcher, posted in American River Parkway, Birds, Butterfly, Eagle, Fujifilm Cameras, Photography, Sacramento, Wildlife

Image of an Eaglet - Bald Eagle Chick, American River Parkway, Folsom, CA, MAY 2017 — Bald Eagle Eaglet

I want to share a few images from some recent walks around the American River Parkway near Folsom, CA. I’ve also included one from Oak Alley Plantation near New Orleans. Nature provides some beautiful creatures for us to appreciate. I hope you enjoy these few.

Regards,

Larry

Note: Click on caption to see image at larger size.

Image of a Female Eastern or Common Pondhawk Dragonfly, Oak Alley Plantation, LA, APR 2017 — Eastern or Common Pondhawk

Image of a California Quail, American River Parkway, Folsom, CA, JUN 2017 — California Quail

Image of a Northern Mockingbird, American River Parkway, Folsom, CA, JUN 2017 — Northern Mockingbird

Image of an Ash-throated Flycatcher, American River Parkway, FOlsom, CA, JUN 2017 — Ash-throated Flycatcher

Image of a Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly, American River Parkway, Folsom, CA, JUN 2017 — Spicebush Swallowtail

IMage of a Spanish Swallowtailbutterfly, American River Parkway, Folsom, CA, JUN 2017 — Spanish Swallowtail

Image of a pair of Tree Swallows, American River Parkway, FOlsom, CA, JUN 2017 — Tree Swallows

Image of a California Towhee, American River Parkway, Folsom, CA, JUN 2017 — California Towhee

Note: These and other images are available for purchase on my website: www.earthwatcher.us or by contacting larry@earthwatcher.us

Some Birds From A Recent Trip

May 19, 2017 by Earthwatcher, posted in Bird Photography, Birds, Fujifilm Cameras, Photography

Image of Tufted Titmouse — Tufted Titmouse – Cameron, OK MAR 2017

On a recent road trip, we got to see a number of interesting birds that we don’t get to see here in California. We also got to see some of the usual suspects.

Here are some interesting tidbits:

The typical vulture we see in the US is the Turkey Vulture. While the black vulture has a gray head, the turkey vulture has a red head. The black vulture is found in southeastern US.
The blue jay is found in the eastern half of the US. In the west, we have the scrub jay. The stellar jay and the gray jay are found in areas of the west with cooler temperatures.

Here are images of some of those birds. I hope you enjoy them.

Regards,

Larry

Note: To see the images at a larger size, please click on bird name.

These and other images are available for purchase by visiting www.earthwatcher.us or by contacting larry@earthwatcher.us

Image of a male cardinal — Male Cardinal – Cameron, OK MAR 2017

Image of female cardinal — Female Cardinal – Cameron, OK MAR 2017

Image of red-bellied woodpecker at feeder — Red-bellied Woodpecker – Port St Lucie, FL APR 2017

Image of blue jay — Blue Jay – Cameron, OK MAR 2017

Image of Carolina Wren — Carolina Wren – Cameron, OK Mar 2017

Image of a black vulture — Black Vulture – Port St Lucie, FL APR 2017

Image of sanderling — Sanderling – Port St Lucie, FL APR 2017

Image of a ruddy turnstone — Ruddy Turnstone – Port St Lucie, FL APR 2017

Image of Non-breeding male willet — Willet – Port St Lucie, FL APR 2017

Image of white ibis in Okefenokee Swamp — White Ibis – Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, GA APR 2017

Image of a pair of brown pelicans — Brown Pelican – Port St Lucie, FL APR 2017

Image of a pair of wind blown great egrets — Great Egrets on a Windy Day – Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, NM MAR 2017

Image of Bald Eagle in a nest — Bald Eagle – Western CO APR 2017

Winter Wildlife

January 2, 2017 by Earthwatcher, posted in American River Parkway, Bird Photography, Birds, Fujifilm Cameras, Otter, Photography, Sacramento

RIver Otter - Perspective 4 — River Otter – Perspective 4

It’s fun to be in Northern California in the winter. We are part of the Pacific Flyway, so we get many birds, primarily waterfowl, who winter over. But even in my backyard I see Oregon Juncos and a species of Goldfinch that spends its summers in the Sierra foothills. Though my passion is landscapes, photographing this wildlife is fun because watching them go about their business of living is fun.

I’ve been out twice in the last two weeks photographing and enjoying the wildlife. On one trip, I went to 2 of the wildlife refuges that have been built along the flyway. Some years ago, land was set aside as a safe haven for migrating waterfowl. Levees were built and fields flooded so they could live and eat. This helped farmers by keeping the birds off their cropland. A win-win situation, enjoyed by birders, photographers and duck hunters. On the day I visited the refuges, raptors became my focus. They benefit from the migrating waterfowl as well.

This past week, I got to spend an hour watching a River Otter and an Egret. They appeared to be helping each other feed. Otters always seem to be playing even as they feed.

I hope you enjoy these images.

Regards

Larry

Note: Click on image to view at larger size

Image of Juvenille Black Crowned Night Heron — Juvenile Black Crowned Night Heron

Image of Red Shouldered Hawk — Red Shouldered Hawk

Image of River Otter - Perspective 1 — River Otter – Perspective 1

Image of River Otter and Egret — River Otter and Egret

Image of Peregrine Falcon — Peregrine Falcon

These and other images are available to view and purchase at my website: www.earthwatcher.us or by contacting larry@earthwatcher.us.

Birds of South Africa

November 9, 2016 by Earthwatcher, posted in Bird Photography, Birds, Fujifilm Cameras, Photography, South Africa

Here is a sample of the birds we saw while in South Africa. There were many interesting, colorful birds. I was especially captivated by the Lilac Breasted Roller,the Purple Crested Turaco and the varieties of sunbirds and kingfishers. There are many more examples on my website (www.earthwatcher.us). I hope you enjoy the images. I encourage you to look at the others that are on my website because I know you will enjoy them also.

Regards

Larry

These images can been seen at a larger size by clicking on the image

Saddle Beaked Stork — Saddle Billed Stork

Purple Crested Turaco (Lourie) - Perspective 2 — Purple Crested Turaco

Orange Breasted Sunbird — Greater Double Collared Sunbird

Hornbills

November 5, 2016 by Earthwatcher, posted in Bird Photography, Birds, Fujifilm Cameras, Photography, South Africa, Wildlife

Image of Southern Ground Hornbill - Perspective 2 — Southern Ground Hornbill

One of the many species of birds we saw while in South Africa were hornbills. They are beautiful birds that cast a striking pose even when flying. I hope you enjoy these images I am sharing.

Regards,

Larry

Click on image to view in larger size.

Image of Yellow Billed Hornbill - Perspective 2 — Pair of Yellow Billed Hornbills

Image of Red Billed Hornbill — Red Billed Hornbill

Image of Southern Ground Hornbill - Perspective 1 — Pair of Southern Ground Hornbills

Image of Yellow Billed Hornbill - Perspective 1 — Yellow Billed Hornbill

These and other images are available to purchase on my website: www.earthwatcher.us or by contacting larry@earthwatcher.us

The African Fish Eagle

October 4, 2016 by Earthwatcher, posted in Bird Photography, Birds, Eagle, Fujifilm Cameras, images, Photography, South Africa, Wildlife

African Fish Eagle in Flight - Perspective 1 — African Fish Eagle In Flight – Kruger National Park, South Africa, AUG 2016

The African Fish Eagle was the most common large raptor we saw on our trip to South Africa. It is a beautiful bird that is a cousin to our American Bald Eagle. I learned from my friend Kevin that both the African Fish Eagle and the Bald Eagle belong to the family of fish eagles. They are distinguished from the family of booted or true eagles by their legs. True eagles have feathers on their lower legs. I am a novice birder and never realized there were different types of eagles. By the way, our Golden Eagle is a snake eagle; yet another type.

Our most interesting encounter was watching a fish eagle being chased by a Blacksmith Lapwing. I guess the eagle was too close to a nest. It was fun watching it fend off numerous attacks.

I hope you enjoy these images of these magnificent birds,

Regards,

Larry